Make it usable for everyone, including people with disabilities - shippingszn launch readiness

Accessibility means making sure your app works for people who use screen readers, navigate with a keyboard instead of a mouse, have low vision, or can't see colors well. It also accidentally makes the app better for everyone — clearer, more readable, more navigable.

It's the right thing to do. It expands who can use your product. And it's increasingly required by law with real lawsuits: the ADA in the US, and — since June 2025 — the European Accessibility Act, which requires consumer and e-commerce apps sold to EU users to meet EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA, reaches non-EU sellers, and carries fines from roughly €5,000 to €500,000. There's a microenterprise exemption for services (under 10 staff AND under €2M turnover) — don't assume it covers you if you sell goods or subscriptions.

Owner verification required: Accessibility needs keyboard and assistive-tech verification across real pages. Static code checks miss focus order, contrast in rendered states, and whether the flow is actually usable.

The Launch Fix Kit keeps scan-specific findings, file and line evidence, AI-builder punch-list tasks, and verification steps tied to the paid report.

Use real semantic HTML — actual <button>, <nav>, <a> tags, not divs with click handlers.
Make sure text has enough contrast against its background. The WebAIM contrast checker is free.
Test that you can navigate the entire app with only the Tab key — every interactive thing should be reachable.
Add alt text to every meaningful image. Decorative images get alt="".
Run an accessibility checker (axe DevTools, Lighthouse) on each page and fix what it finds.

Run the scanner | Unlock Launch Fix Kit

Canonical URL: https://shippingszn.com/i/accessibility/